It’s CHRISTmas!

As I grow older, I seem to despise certain things more and more. One that has always bothered me is political correctness. I do not remember when the whole “PC” mess started, but I sure wish it would end. It gives me a headache. Trying not to step on toes just leaves me feeling drained and used up.

Which brings me to the all-inclusive phrase, “Happy Holidays!” Ugh. Why has this become so popular?! In all our efforts to make sure no one is offended, we offend ourselves. Christianity is the heritage of our country. Yes, I realize that not every person is a Christian. But that is supposed to limit my expression of wishing any person I come in contact with this season a hearty “Merry Christmas!”? I, too, have the right to say this and it sounds way better than a generic “Happy Holidays.”

I get looks when I say this to some people, some nasty, some questioning, some puzzled. And yet the majority seem to be pleasantly surprised and say it back to me.

Our society has an ongoing obsession with removing Christ in any way it can and this seems to be one of its favorites. I will not cave in to society on this issue or any that continually works against Christianity.

One Christmas song that I have come to adore is by the family entertainment group Go Fish. The title is “Christmas With A Capital C.” One of my favorite versions of the song includes snippets of commentary from comedian Brad Stine. The following is a comment from the group’s website:

“This song unapologetically reminds people that Christmas is about the birth of Christ,” says Go Fish founding member Jamie Statema. “The whole point of ‘Christmas With A Capital C’ is to show that this annual debate is about something much bigger than just whether or not to say ‘Merry Christmas.’ It’s about an ongoing effort to remove God from our American culture. We decided it was time to take a stand and as a result, ‘Christmas With A Capital C’ has become an anthem for Christians all over the United States.”

Another issue I want to comment on is X-mas and how that upsets some people. X is the Greek letter “Chi” and this abbreviation has been used for centuries, according to Pastor Jim Harnish of Tampa, Florida. Usually the X is seen joined with a “P” that has an extra-long tail. This symbol is the “Chi-Rho,” the first two letters of the Greek word “Christ.” (A thank you for the article posted by Grayson Kamm here, where this information was found. Please read the article to have a better grasp on the meaning.) So you see, Christ is still in Christmas even when it is abbreviated X-mas.

Here’s a bit of Brad Stine’s commentary from the song (which is from “Put a Helmet On”):

“But nobody wants to say Christmas…It’s because it’s got CHRIST in it and after 2000 years He’s still intimidating people! When a religious person says, “I AM THE WAY,” people don’t want to hear it.

If you think I’m not going to say it because it offends you, here’s a newsflash for you: Put a helmet on! It’s my country too.”